The Oscars...

Meant to post about the Oscars last night, but was so tired and it was so late! So now...

I really enjoyed the show. I'll tell you what I enjoyed the most (other than Hugh Jackman... seriously, I think I'd watch him read the dictionary if someone cared to televise it): I really enjoyed how as they were announcing the nominees for the acting awards, the presenters told each nominee what was so special about their performance. I could see that the nominees seemed genuinely touched by the complements and it just struck me as very special. Kate Winslet's was my favorite acceptance speech. YAY!! She won! :D (I <3 Kate!) Anyway, it seemed to me that this year's Oscars was a more intimate show... I don't know if it was just me, but I got that there was a sense of camaraderie and affection and... family really among a lot of the celebrities there, and I really liked that...

If you've got no idea what I'm talking about, watch this clip... It's good anyway (It's Kate! :D):



And OMG! I can't tell you how thrilled and moved I was that Heath was honored.



I cried. I won't lie...

Also - YAY! Sean Penn! I'm not a huge fan of him, but he gave a great speech:



Also - YAY! Penelope Cruz! I didn't see the movie, but I hear she is amazing in it and I loved her in Woman on Top years ago. And OMG! That DRESS!!! Did you hear the story? She saw it in a vintage clothing store 8 yerars ago and didn't buy it. She told herself that she'd go back for it when she needed it, and if it was still there, it was meant to be. She went back recently, and it was still there! 8 YEARS LATER! O.O Dude! The odds! The dress is 60 years old. *is amazed* Also, her speech rocks too...



On a completely different note: Today I started my 3 week long job. The teachers they have covering the classes really want me to actually teach instead of having them do it, but seriously, it's math and the FCAT (a standardized test in this state) is in a few weeks and I wouldn't want me preparing them for it if I were them. I know it's 6th grade math, but... still... Plus, they don't pay me enough to actually really teach 5 classes a day 5 days a week for the next three weeks. That's what the permanent teachers are getting paid to do.

Also today: My handcards arrived in the mail! YAY! *dances* Now I can start in on all the raw spinning fiber I've got laying around waiting to be processed.

Jam...

So I made that strawberry jam I've been talking about for what must be weeks by now. It is completely delicious. I used this recipe.

I've discovered something interesting. I think I'm allergic to strawberries. I hardly ever have strawberries, despite the fact that I live less than 15 miles from the Winter Strawberry Capital of America. Never fresh because I always expect them to be sweeter than they are, and I find it so disappointing when they aren't, and I think the last time I attempted to eat them was when I was 8 or 9 years old. I vaguely remember breaking out in hives at that time, but I can't clearly remember it and neither can my mom. I've had other forms of strawberries over the years. Strawberry cake, strawberry sauces on like ice cream and things like that (and I mean the real stuff, not artificially flavored things) and strawberry cheesecake for sure. Never had a problem with any of those. But this evening I've eaten about a tablespoon of strawberry jam and now I've broken out in hives. :-( This makes me very sad because my jam is really yummy.

Four pounds of fresh strawberries, fours after they were picked in Plant City...




Washed, cut up and ready to go in the pot...


Mashed and boiling...


Finished cooking...


All done and processed... 11 jars altogether...

*headdesk* Seriously?

This is what some people are worried about right now?



Georgia legistlators who are upset about these Georgia State University classes... You fail. Sorry. You just do.

A Sunday of randomness and gardening...

Gardening first... It was supposed to rain this afternoon, but it's 4pm and it still hasn't. Maybe tonight... But I've been out in the garden off and on since about 9 this morning getting as much done as I could. I moved bricks around to line the edges of the vegetable bed, and I planted the yellow summer squash seedlings in with the mustard greens that are going to seed right now. I also watered everything, thinned the parsnips, which seem to be just starting to really grow, and picked about 4 gallon-sized bags worth of mustard greens. We've got so much of that stuff, but it's yummy, so that's good. I also threw some annual seeds in the dirt of the flower beds in the front yard. With luck and water and sunshine, in a few weeks, there will be some marigolds, cosmos, zinnias and calendula coming up out there. I like those flowers because they do very well here and pretty much take care of themselves, freeing up more time for me to spend on the veggies out back.

On to the randomness:

• I got my first paycheck on Friday. \o/ Not a fabulous one, there was only one day's worth of work on it and the next one will be much better, but still, paycheck! *dances*


• I ordered myself a pair of handcarders today. Schacht brand. Made in the USA with some really nice features for longevity. I figured I'd use my Christmas money and a few dollars from my first paycheck on them before I forgot that I had Christmas money sitting in my account with a directive from my aunt to "buy something frivolous." Useful but unusual and expensive was about as frivolous as I could get. LOL!


• When the handcarders get here, I'll finally be able to start tackling the four pounds of raw llama fiber my friend Tareena sent me. YAY! \o/


• I'm annoyed with Lane Bryant. They sent my the clothes I ordered to Virginia, even though they had said they had fixed the address label and the order was certainly being sent to Florida before it left their facility. They obviously lied. Supposedly, it has now been forwarded through the US mail, but it still hasn't arrived and it's been more than a week. There were some really cute outfits in that order for work, and now they've sold out of my size, so if this is lost in the mail, refund or not, I'm S.O.L. Grrrrrr...


• I want to make strawberry jam. This sounds like the most wonderful idea to me.


• I haven't worked on Jensen's socks in days. However, I did make myself a steering wheel cover for my car. I finished it last night. Pictures will eventually be forthcoming.

Yay! Yarn! And Pie!

I made pie tonight... Pumpkin pie... Two of them. With this recipe. I didn't have any evaporated milk on hand, so I made some myself on the stove... Took about an hour and a half to slowly boil 3 cups of milk down to 1 1/2 cups... Next time, I'll just run out to the 24-hour Super Walmart. Still. YUM!







I spilled the filling of one of them just a bit, so that's what the darker places are on the crust edges.

I just tried the first piece... It's very custard-like and the pumpkin flavor isn't very strong (although it still tastes good), and I added an extra 1/2 cup of pumpkin. I may need to strain the pumpkin better, or it could be because my pie crusts weren't large enough for the entire filling. I made the same amount as the recipe calls for, but the pie crusts weren't deep enough for it all. Deep dish pie crusts are obviously a must.

And I finally uploaded pictures of the yarn I made for Jensen and Jared's socks.

Jensen's color... worsted weight, superwash merino:




The main color for both pairs of socks... worsted weight, superwash merino-alpaca:




Jared's color... worsted weight, superwash bfl:




I also just uploaded the pictures I took the weekend before last when I went out to a park in Pasco County with my mom and her friends from dog training class. They have a doberman. A very well trained doberman. Far better than our Maxie.

Maxie: